Monday, August 22, 2011

I don't know who made up the little saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I know that I have heard that a million times and I probably even chanted it on the playground as a child. Let me tell you--as if you didn't know--it's a LIE!

It drives me crazy how "innocently" people will say things but their words strike you to the very core. I had this experience a couple of weeks ago, and it was over something totally trivial. I missed church one Sunday because I had been cleaning our apartment and preparing our things to be moved out in a few weeks. There was a ton of dust and my allergies kicked into high gear making me very sick. The next time that I returned to church I was asked where I was last week and why I had missed church. I told the gentleman my story and he preceded to tell me that if I took the time to clean my house every week then I wouldn't have that problem. Ouch!

Words cut like nothing else. Chew on this... James 3:5 says, "Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." Here James is comparing the power of the tongue to a spark that starts a raging forest fire. James draws several other comparisons that all lead us to the same conclusion--the tongue is a small but powerful weapon. It can be used for either good or ill (James 3:9-12).

Although I know that this older gentleman probably didn't mean any real harm, I wish that he would have chosen his words with a little more care. They weren't funny and they didn't do anything but cause hurt and make me feel like an inadequate wife/woman. I hope that the next time I start to say something careless I will pause for a minute and remember how I felt in this moment before I just blurt something out with considering the cost.

Other Resources:
"Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, 'I was only joking!'" Proverbs 26:18-20

"LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor,and casts no slur on others;" Psalm 15:1-3

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Recently I was looking for some new devotional so I was totally stoked when I saw that “God’s Love Letters to You” was up for review. I thought…what a great opportunity. I read the description on the website and the back of the book and I was really excited about this book. Sadly, I was very disappointed.

Dr. Larry Crabb has an easy to understand writing style. He also presents a solid scriptural point of view. However the forty, one to two page devotionals were simply fluff pieces. They teased a deeper spiritual meaning and lesson but left you feeling like you hadn’t really study anything at all.

I like that each love letter contains reflection questions. I think that helps you to pause a moment and find some relatable qualities. I do wish that the scriptures referenced or at least one key highlighted scripture had been printed out in the devotional. People don’t always have their Bibles handy when they grab a devotional book or sometimes they are simply to lazy to look the verses up. However, if they are printed out on the page then they will usually take the time to read them.

Overall I don’t think this book was really for me. I guess that I was just looking for more. This book would probably be really great for people who are just starting to try to get into the habit of doing a daily quiet time. Then are short and to the point and do provide biblical knowledge. If you are looking for bite-sized devotionals then this could very possibly be a great devotional for you.

If you want to really dig in and go deep then steer clear of God’s Love Letters to You because you will simply be disappointed.

This book was provided to me at no cost by Thomas Nelson Publishing for review purposes.

About Life as a Minister's Wife

Life as a Minister's Wife is about my day to day thoughts, struggles, and joy as I serve seek to follow God's will for my life. I'm not perfect and I struggle too. I share the good, bad, and the ugly of being a Christian and working in the ministry here in Life as a Minister's Wife.

Life, love, and ministry. It's what being a minister's wife is all about!